The Summer We L(i)(o)ved?

Chapter 1

"Come on, honey. You'll enjoy camp. And it'll only be three weeks!" I sighed tiredly, calmly listening to my mother drone on and on about how fun the all-boys camping trip she had -without my consent- signed me up for.

"Okay mum, but don't expect me to enjoy it," I say while playfully (thinly veiled spite if you asked me) forking my breakfast casserole. I move up to my room after breakfast and begin packing up for my trip to the woods that I have this evening. Funny my mom decided to tell me about these plans on THE MORNING of the three-week trip.

I phone Wayne, breaking the news to him.

"Oh my God, that's like a whole month off of our time together. And it's the last month of summer to boot. I hate this!" he whined. I laughed at him, finding it funny how he was reacting. "It's alright, Waynie-boy... we'll find something we can do to go around this," I told him.

"Ugh, I just don't want to miss your seventeenth birthday, you know? You're finally becoming a young adult like myself. It'd be a pain to miss seeing you in your cute little glasses," he snorted over the phone, teasing me. I rolled my eyes, playing with my hair while I stared at the half-filled box of clothes that lay on my bedroom floor.

"Sweetie, I have to drop you off early, so hurry up!" my mom yelled from downstairs. I smiled, "Got to go, Wayne. There won't be any reception in the woods since they want us to 'bond and connect with each other', so I'm just calling to tell you bye," I smiled as I began packing faster.

"Okay, thanks, man. Make sure to have fun. And don't make any new best friends, you hear me? Love you, byeeeee. Mwuah mwua—" I cut off the call, scrunching my face up in faux disgust all while corroborating his last words.

"Love you too," I whisper to myself as I lay back on my bed and close my eyes.

=0=0=0=0=

I open my eyes after blinking profusely from the effects of the wind getting in them.

We're sitting in Wayne's truck, blasting music and speeding down the small green road. The windows are down so my hair is being pushed back. His is all over the place, just like his personality.

"Hey," he starts. "What?" I ask jokingly. "Well, Cross is throwing a summer bash tomorrow evening at his warehouse that's on the edge of the suburban area. I was thinking you and I could hit it up. Ya know? Add some life to that dull party." He says sheepishly, knowing fully well that I'm not a big fan of large gatherings since my parents attend one every other week. Thankfully I'm not required to come with, except for some in which my father would like to show me off to the daughter of some rich family.

Wayne's parents were all old French money so he was used to all the hassle of having to stand in front of huge family dinners and speak in his language –something I was really proud of him for by the way— and then do a toast.

I remember attending one of those galas that his family held once a year. He was asked to come up and give a speech by his father seeing as he was the first son -just like his father. He was looking at me the whole time, smirking at me.

I was rolling my eyes the whole time while turning red since his younger family members caught wind of it and decided to know who he was teasing.

I digress.

"Look, if you wanna head over to the party tomorrow, then you can go. But I don't think I might be able to make it tomorrow night..." I give him an answer and his face falls.

"Alright, we can skip the party. I'll spend the evening with you instead. That okay?" he asks. My eyes widen. "No uh, I mean you can go by yourself, I just have some things I have to take care of at home, you know?" I tell him a half lie, leaving out the most important of details: